Posts Tagged ‘2011 Dodge Durango’

Dodge's new Durango sits in front of the 1904 Crisp Point Lighthouse in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

In some ways, the Chrysler Group and its Dodge brand and Northern Michigan’s Crisp Point Lighthouse have a lot in common.

That both are with us is one part luck, mixed with a freighter full of determination.

Both have survived – against all odds.

To test Dodge’s new Durango sport utility, we pulled our loaded 2,500-camper on a 980-mile trip, packed with the usual supplies needed for a seven-day stay in the wilds of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to serve as volunteer keepers at the lonely lighthouse on the coast of Lake Superior. Oh, and four people and a dog were part of the equation, so human and canine comfort were paramount.

Taking You on the Road!

This all-wheel-drive Durango proved to be the perfect perch to make the trip. Three rows – all adult comfortable – meant everyone had plenty of space. Easy-flip seats made getting in and out a snap, even for the young adult consigned to the back row. Chrysler’s new corporate 3.6-liter V-6 provided plenty of power to shoulder the heavy load, even if unloaded acceleration seems rather middle-of-the-pack.

Conventional wisdom would have it that Chrysler is in a holding pattern this year, awaiting some of the big new product launches promised as part of its new affiliation with Italy’s Fiat. But, yet again, conventional wisdom would be wrong.

True, some of the most important launches are yet to come, but the troubled U.S. maker is turning out a significant assortment of all-new and updated models for 2011, including eight under the Chrysler and Dodge brand names. That includes an all-new version of the Dodge Durango, which the maker is billing as “the return of the man van.”

Click Here to Subscribe!

There was reason to be skeptical, of course, as we headed to California for a first ride in the 2011 Dodge Durango. Chrysler has a history of wrapping the same basic product under a variety of different wrappers, and one could only wonder whether the ’11 Dodge SUV would be little more than a warmed-over version of the new, 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee remake.

To our surprise – and satisfaction – what we discovered when we got a first close-up look at the 2011 Dodge Durango was a crossover/ute with a decidedly distinct appearance, both inside and out, and on-road manners that are notably different from those of the Grand Cherokee.

The 2011 Dodge Avenger is restyled and has new engines and a recalibrated suspension.

For the last four years, there didn’t seem to be much happening on Planet Chrysler. There was a dearth of new product and the ones that it did introduce were largely panned as poorly designed, engineered and styled.

In that time, three masters ruled the company – Daimler, Cerberus and now Fiat – all with their own thoughts on how to run the company.

And in the middle of the whole charade, the automaker came very close to shutting down altogether before the government stepped in, pumped it full of cash and arranged the shotgun marriage with Fiat.

Even though there hasn’t seem to be much outward appearance to show for it, the folks in Auburn Hills were busy. Busy as elves in Santa’s workshop getting ready for Christmas, as it turns out.

Even better than feverishly working to bring these new products to market, it would appear that the stuff might actually be good. So far, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has been getting rave reviews. Some of the other vehicles show that the automaker has finally come out of its styling funk.

Your Trusted Source! Click Here to Subscribe!

And now it would appear the smallest of the Detroit Three automakers is ready to reap the benefits of all that work. Chrysler has so much product that has recently hit the street or will go on sale in the coming months that it would be hard to keep track of it all without a scorecard.

And that’s just the first wave. Next will come the new cars that are based on Fiat DNA, plus engines using Fiat technology.

Here’s a quick look at some of the products that have recently been introduced or will be available in Chrysler showrooms in the coming months.(more…)